Building Freedom Cities

Freedom Cities is a movement that seeks to make entire cities, towns, and communities safe for workers, the disabled, immigrants, Black people, Muslims, LGBTQ people, and all oppressed communities.

A Freedom City is a community where we have investments in humanity and our planet, safety beyond policing, sanctuary, real community control and political power, hate-free zones, and divestment from militarization and punishment.

We believe we all deserve to live with dignity and have the opportunity to thrive.

What is the Freedom Cities vision?

Economic Justice: We fight for a world where everyone has the opportunity to earn a living wage and work safely with dignity.

End to Criminalization: We believe in safety beyond policing and demand local budgets that prioritize investment in real public safety including public health based approaches, mental health services and restorative practices, and divestment from policing and militarization.

Political Power & Community Control: We demand real control of the policies and budgets of the institutions that people interact with daily, including police and other public agencies.

Community Defense:We will protect and provide sanctuary for each other by establishing systems of self defense in neighborhoods for our rights and dignity.

Investment in People & Planet: We pass budgets that invest in the basic needs of our communities including housing, education, health, good food, and safety net programs. For too long we’ve divested from the basic needs of communities of color while pouring resources into the militarization of policing, surveillance and incarceration. It's time to reverse the this trend and invest in people and the planet.

Racial & Gender Justice: We explicitly reject anti-blackness and patriarchy. Everybody, regardless of race or gender, should be able to share equitably in the distribution of power, knowledge, and resources.

Global Justice: We know that our struggles for liberation have always been linked with others across the world, and our identities and migration histories link us globally. We are part of an international movement of those who believe that everybody deserves safety and freedom.

How can you build #FreedomCities with us?

Share your vision for what a #FreedomCity is on social media—post a photo of a time you have felt safe and powerful in your community along with the hashtag #FreedomCities.

Freedom Cities is co-convened nationally by Enlace, the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), and the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. Please reach out to our Organizing Director, Vince Steele, for more information: vince@ellabakercenter.org.